It has been more than a decade since my family got to really take several days' vacation away from Metro Manila. Usually, we'll just go on overnight trips either to Tagaytay or Laguna because of time constraints.
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| before flying to Kalibo via AirAsia |
Last year, hubby and I decided that 2014 should be the year we should start to really find time to go on a vacation as a family while the boys are still students and can still hang out with us. I'm sure when they graduate and have their own jobs, it would be more difficult to ask them to get away with us for days.
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| first family trip via plane |
Sometime in November, I was browsing AirAsia's website and found discounted fares on a flight to Kalibo that falls on my birthday. I thought it was a good sign and that it would be great to spend that day until Mother's Day exclusively with my husband and kids. So I made the booking for all six of us and reminded hubby to file two days' leave from the office early.
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| Blue Veranda Suites logo |
My friend Van, who recently went to Boracay with her husband, highly recommended a place called Blue Veranda Suites in Station 2. She said they have family rooms that can accommodate six persons. I researched online and saw that they indeed have very nice amenities and affordable rates.
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| the very welcoming reception area |
However, family rooms were already booked for May 8th so we ended up getting two deluxe rooms -- one for the three boys and the other for me, hubby, and our special child. After several hours of travel, we finally got there in the late afternoon and were warmly welcomed by Ms. Josephine and her staff with refreshing glasses of juice.
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| aisle leading to the rooms |
The reception area is very pleasant. Despite the heat outside, the blue and white decorations gave off a sense of coolness. Blue Veranda is located at the second floor of a building. One has to climb a flight of stairs to get there. The aisle leading to the rooms is very airy and has cute tables and chairs covered in blue and white cloths.
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| inside a deluxe room |
We settled in our rooms before exploring the area outside. I love that each room has two big, comfortable beds each and its own TV with cable channels. James happily watched Disney Junior while hubby and I unpacked.
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| our comfortable room for 3 days and 2 nights |
Aside from the air conditioning unit, each room is provided with an electric fan, maybe for guests who find it too cold at night during the rainy months. There, one need not worry about running out of toiletries because Blue Veranda has Watsons shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body scrub, hand wash, and body lotion in big containers! You also won't have to worry about leaving valuables in the room because you can keep them in the safety deposit box that you can lock yourself.
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| lots of personal care amenities |
There were also several rolls of tissue paper, two toothbrushes, and cotton buds as well as towels and bathrobes provided in each room. In addition, we had a clothes hamper in our bathroom, which I thought was a very good idea because we got to use it to temporarily toss our wet clothes in after swimming in the ocean.
Speaking of the water, Blue Veranda is not a beach front property but it is literally just a few steps away from the beach! It was such a convenient place to stay in for several other reasons:
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| hearty breakfast! |
1. They serve hearty lutong bahay buffet breakfast that comes free with the room. We got to eat and store energy for two mornings before we headed out for the day's adventures. There's also a water dispenser near the reception desk where guests can get purified drinking water any time of the day. This was convenient for us as I didn't need to go down and buy bottled water (which are quite expensive in Boracay) every time I had to prepare James' formula for tube feeding.
2. They have free WiFi! I am sure this is one of the top requirements of travelers these days so they can immediately open Instagram or post photos on Facebook and Twitter. I was grateful that I got to update my social media sites the whole time we were in Boracay.
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| fresh seafood at D' Talipapa |
3. It's walking distance to D' Talipapa where you can buy fresh seafood from the wet market stalls then have them cooked in one of the "paluto" restaurants dotting the area. (Read more about our food trips in this blog post).
4. The place is right above several stores selling various stuff from clothes to footwear and lots of souvenir items, which are mostly reasonably priced. I just wished I had more pocket money and luggage space to buy pasalubong for friends.
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| convenient location |
5. Blue Veranda is very near ATM machines located along the beach. That was actually one of my main concerns during our flight because hubby forgot to withdraw cash and I was worried that what I have in my wallet might run out before we leave the island. I breathed in a sigh of relief when we explored the length of the beach that first afternoon and saw that a BPI machine is just right around the corner.
6. Since the beach is very accessible, we could go down any time we want to go strolling along the beach or swimming in the ocean. I will always have fond memories of bringing James out and parking his stroller on the sand while we enjoy looking at the sunset and simply soak in the hum of interesting activities all around us.
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| hanging out at the beach |
7. Lots of other establishments offering various services are also walking distance from this hotel. Read this other blog post where I shared some of the things we did, and which you can also do, in Boracay.
If you are planning a trip to this beautiful island any time soon and don't want to spend too much on accommodations, do check out Blue Veranda Suites. There are a lot of amenities there that even big hotels I've stayed in, in the past, don't have. It's a great place to spend a couple of days or more in Boracay, especially if you are with your loved ones :)
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| a pretty shot of the sky, sand, and sea |
Blue Veranda Suites is located at Boat Station 2, Sitio Manggayad, Caticlan, Malay, Boracay Island 5608, Philippines. For more information, you can call these Manila numbers (632) 4102932 / 3520526 / 8610148, the Boracay front desk (6336) 2882414, log on to www.blueverandasuites.com, or email blueverandaboracay@yahoo.com.
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